Friday, December 15, 2006

First WfP Delegation on the Oaxaca Conflict Amidst Conflicting Atmosphere in the City

In a matter of days, the face of Oaxaca’s historic center has gone through a striking transformation. Walking through the streets of downtown, pedestrians duck under or spill into the streets to avoid the dozens of ladders propped against the city’s main colonial buildings, supporting workers applying fresh coats of brightly colored paint. It’s incredible how fast the “cleansing” of the city has taken place, washing over layers of political graffiti and leaving behind a deceiving calmness that suggests the now over six-month conflict has ended. As the holidays approach, the traditionally tourist-filled season begins to welcome a handful of foreigners, who even in their small numbers seem a surprising sight after months of their vacancy. Huge celebrations of annual festivals for the Virgen de Juquila and Guadalupe give way to processions, pilgrimages and huge firework blasts in the streets into the early hours of the morning. To someone just arriving, it even seems conceivable that she/he could at first remain relatively unaware of the events of the past months. With just a slightly closer look however, one would surely note the continued presence and concentration of the Federal Preventative Police in strategic areas of the city, and the continuous patrols of bands of state, federal and—after dark—armed civilian-clothed groups. If out in the streets on or after December 10th, one would also surely observe the first major mobilization since the events of November 25th: a march organized to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to demand the release of all political prisoners of the conflict; as well as the fresh trail of graffiti left in its path. These signs allude to the other face of the city, one that reveals the climate of intense fear and intimidation under which many leaders of civil society organizations, members of the social movement, and human rights defenders have been living. Many of them have been forced into hiding due to threats of arrest warrants, testimonies of arbitrary detention and charges, torture in police custody, and many people whose whereabouts are unknown. Though numbers vary, an estimated 300 political prisoners are now in state and federal prisons (including as far away as Tepic, Nayarit), which include teachers removed from their classrooms during the school day, youth without ties to the movement randomly arrested in groups on the street, and principal APPO leaders such as Flavio Sosa, who was apprehended upon leaving a press conference at a human rights organization in Mexico City. According to papers, federal officials also recently entered the state attorney general offices in Oaxaca, arresting five city police and confiscating arms that may have been used against members of the APPO. The APPO responded by criticizing the operation for targeting low-level officials instead of pursuing intellectual authors responsible.

Also not immediately evident among the newly arrived tourists is the presence of foreigners who have come on behalf of international organizations to observe, accompany and report on what is happening in Oaxaca. As a part of our mission to study the impacts of U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, Witness for Peace hosted its first delegation focused on U.S. policy links to the Oaxaca conflict. This pioneering group of 16 delegates from various parts of the US dedicated a week to investigating the conflict firsthand and seeking out root causes linked to neoliberal economic policies promoted by the US. Meetings were held with various actors associated with the conflict including human rights organizations, family members of victims, those involved in the reconciliation process and representatives of the business sector in Oaxaca. The group looked at the events of the conflict with relationship to issues such as migration, NAFTA, privatization, connections between economic and military violence, U.S. foreign aid (including potential military and police training), the extraction of natural resources, and the influence of U.S. expatriate communities. Delegates are currently finishing a report of their findings, which will be posted on the WfP website shortly.

The traditionally vibrant, contrasting colors used to accent buildings in the principal avenues of downtown are a strong metaphor for the divergent realities that currently exist in Oaxaca. As more and more reports of human rights abuses and deeper structural causes of the conflict begin to seep out of Oaxaca, the city continues with efforts to go on with daily life. Though on the surface level the city appears to be returning to “normal,” just on the outskirts remain signs of graffiti on street walls that serve as graphic reminders of the vast number of those affected by the conflict and who are currently in hiding, detained, missing or have fallen victim.

The Witness for Peace Mexico team would like readers to know that although we will be taking a break over the holidays, we will continue to monitor the conflict and update this blog upon return.